Designing for public values in a digital world

New technological developments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things, Big Data, and Blockchain can solve problems and help realise shared values and ideals. At the same time, other public values are at stake, such as privacy, security, and democracy. How can these values be taken into account in a transparent and responsible way in designing and implementing new systems, applications, models and protocols? What solutions are there for fundamental conflicts of values in the digital society?

To answer this question, NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) opened a new research programme in unique collaboration with The Hague Municipal Council, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Justice and Security: ‘Responsible Innovation. Designing for public values in a digital world’. This research programme is part of the larger NWO-programme Responsible Innovation (MVI), in which research is carried out into the societal and ethical aspects of new technologies.

Applications for funding relate to one of the following four innovative themes:

• New digital technology in the modern rule of law

• Privacy and human rights in new digital networks

• Big Data science for a democratic public space

• Complexity as a consequence of hyper-connectivity for public and private actors

Room for four new research projects, in collaboration with private organisations

The budget of this new programme is over three million euro. This means that four research project can start with a maximum budget of 750.000 euro. Private parties can join a project by (jointly) contributing at least 10% of the total costs of the project (in kind and/or in cash). By investing in the project, companies and other parties have the opportunity to be the first to make use of the newest insights. To stimulate this, all parties that are involved in one of the research projects are part of a valorisation committee, where ideas can be exchanged on the progress of the research and the possibilities for valorisation.

Join the meeting on April 12

In the morning of Friday April 12, the parties who initiated the research programme as well as the researchers who are working on project proposals come together in The Hague. Is your company interested in the themes of the programme? We warmly invite you to join the meeting! This gives you the opportunity to learn how

Register by sending an e-mail to mvi@nwo.nl with the following information:

1) Name, organisation, contact details and – if applicable – dietary restrictions.

2) Which of the following four themes has your interest? (multiple options possible)

• New digital technology in the modern rule of law

• Privacy and human rights in new digital networks

• Big Data science for a democratic public space

• Complexity as a consequence of hyper-connectivity for public and private actors

For further questions, please contact Sander Klaassen via s.klaasse@nwo.nl